Putin to Obama: Use your influence to prevent bloodshed in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his American counterpart on Monday to use the White House’s influence on the Ukrainian government to prevent further “bloodshed” from occurring in the country.

United States President Barack Obama placed a phone call to Mr.
Putin on Monday afternoon (EST) to discuss the ongoing and
increasingly tense situation in eastern Ukraine amid growing
concerns surrounding the country’s future stability following the
recent ousting of Pres. Viktor Yanukovych earlier this year, and
the turmoil that has gripped the region ever since.

According to a statement released after the phone conversation by
the Kremlin, Putin dismissed recent reports that peg Russia as
being responsible for heated protests that have erupted in
eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian activists have successfully
managed to seize a number of local government buildings and
police stations.

"In response to the president of the United States' expressed
concern about Russia's supposed meddling in southeastern Ukraine,
the president of Russia noted that such speculations are based on
inaccurate information," the press statement read.

Putin stressed that protests in several south-east regions of
Ukraine are a result of “the Kiev authorities’ unwillingness
and inability to take into account the interests of the Russian
and Russian-speaking population,” read a Kremlin press
service statement.

The Russian president called upon Obama to use all of the
capabilities at his disposal, “to prevent the use of force
and bloodshed,” and also reportedly denied that his
government has had any involvement in the recent unrest during
the call, according to the official statement.

“The president noted that such speculation is based on
unreliable information,” the Kremlin said.

At the same time, Obama called on Putin to use his influence over
pro-Russian groups in eastern Ukraine to “depart the
buildings they have seized,” the White House said in a
statement. “The president reiterated the importance of Russia
withdrawing its troops from Ukraine’s border in order to defuse
tensions.”

Representatives for Russia, the US and Ukraine are expected to
meet with colleagues from the EU later this week in Geneva to
discuss the recent series of events and what could come next, but
the Kremlin said that both Putin and Obama agreed during Monday’s
phone call that diplomatic cooperation must continue ahead of
that meeting, currently scheduled for April 17.

In the meantime, the Kremlin said that Putin suggested during
Monday’s phone call that Ukraine begin focusing on a new
constitution that “involves all political forces in the
country, creating a federalized state and guaranteeing Ukraine's
non-aligned status.”

Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told the Russian media
earlier that day that the Kremlin has been receiving pleas for
help from Ukrainians as a result of the events unfolding in the
eastern part of the country.

“He is getting a lot of appeals addressed personally to him,
asking him to intervene in one way or another. He is monitoring
the situation in Ukraine with great concern,” Peskov stated.

On Sunday evening, Kiev threatened "full-scale" military
force if protesters and paramilitaries refused to vacate the
occupied government buildings by Monday morning, but that
deadline came and went without action. Later, though, the US
State Dept. and White House both weighed in on the matter and
made conflicting statements about possibly supplying arms to
Ukrainian forces.